After scoring two touchdowns and outrunning the state’s leading rusher Friday, Nov. 12, Valley Christian High School senior Kaden Majercak is becoming less Trojan and more 49er.

Traditionally, Trojans are vulnerable to Achilles heels and hollow horses. But Majercak had two rushes that were gold from the River Valley 49-yard-line, including the game-winner with less than 49 seconds to play, shining brightly for touchdowns through the middle of the Dust Devil defense in a 35-28 quarterfinal victory in the 3A Conference tournament.

“We had the pace rolling,” said Majercak, second-leading rusher in 3A this fall only to River Valley senior Zach Hammett. “Our line blocked absolutely amazing.”

Valley Christian advanced, with the win, to the 3A semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20: a rematch with second-ranked Snowflake, 44-13 winners of its quarterfinal over 10th-seeded Thatcher and whom the Trojans dealt their only loss this fall in their season opener, 38-24. 

“They’re not the team they were at the beginning of the year,” said Jake Petersen, head coach of the Trojans [11-1]. “I think we could be considered that same thing, because we’ve grown in a lot of areas.”

The teams will face off at Campo Verde High School prior to the other semifinal, matching top-ranked American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North with fourth seed Yuma Catholic, big winners of their quarterfinals as well.

Hammett, in the final game of his 4,600-yard high school rushing career, matched Majercak’s two scores on the ground. Both, however, occurred in the second half from inside the Trojan red zone, as the Valley Christian defense stifled Hammett’s big-play capabilities.

“They just made more plays than us,” said Dust Devil head coach Jonathan Clark. “I love the fact that our boys did not quit. They never laid down. Super proud of that.”

Hammett forged two ties with runs from 17 and two yards out near the end of the third and fourth quarters, respectively.  But the Dust Devils never enjoyed a lead, and the stress of constantly making big plays to come back from a touchdown deficit, combined with a Trojan hurry-up offense Majercak called their “secret weapon”--one Clark’s defense was not prepared for--eventually wore them down.

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Clark said of the Trojan no-huddle, which spread the field enough for senior quarterback Hunter Heeringa to sneak for six and find receivers like junior Adam Bradford for another score.  “It made a big difference, especially right here, at the end of the game.”

As well as its beginning, when Valley Christian’s opening drive gobbled up five-and-a-half minutes of clock. A critical early offsides penalty on a 47-yard field goal attempt by senior kicker Dominic Zvada gave the Trojans a new set of downs, and momentum to use no huddle, at the River Valley 25. Two plays later, Heeringa found junior wideout Ethan Heinrich barely in bounds on the 19-yard fade just inside the corner pylon of the end zone. 

“We’ve got one of the best running backs in Arizona; we’ve got three receivers that are lights-out as well,” Petersen said. “Spreading the ball around to different people is one of the most difficult things, but it also makes us tough to defend. We’ve got a couple guys that aren’t even playing offense that could be our top receivers.”

Tenacious junior quarterback Gavin Hogencamp struck back with an 80-yard drive of his own, mixing up short passes in space to Hammett and other targets like Junior Pacheco that deliberately bled the rest of the first-quarter clock. By the time Hogencamp connected with junior Kenneth Clay from seven yards out for the tying touchdown, there was just 9:51 left to play in the first half.

So Heeringa went hurry-up from their next offensive play at his own 34. Less than four minutes later, the added urgency paid off with a four-yard pass to the 6-foot, 5-inch Bradford.

“That’s what we’ve done all year,” said Petersen. “Our quarterback’s had multiple games where he’s thrown touchdowns to four different receivers.”

With heavy home-field advantage and 5:45 to play in the half, historical precedent between the teams suggested it was time for the Trojans to pull away from the pesky Dust Devils. They did not. 

“We knew that it was going to be a battle,” Petersen said. “We played them last year and it was a completely different ballgame. We kind of handled them a little bit.”

Hogencamp took his subsequent touchback, dropped back five yards in his pocket the very next play, and slung a high spiral deep down the middle of the field to wideout Gage Solano. The senior caught the bomb in stride at the Trojan 30 and outran everyone into the end zone to tie the game at 14.

“They’re a great team,” Majercak said. “They never gave up.”

Neither did Majercak. A short kickoff by senior Johnny Delgado got Valley Christian favorable field position at its own 41. A River Valley penalty and 1:15 later, Majercak took off and didn’t stop until pay dirt.

The Trojans seemed to assert control of the game after a stop of Hammett forced its first punt with 1:12 in the half. Delgado fielded a bad snap but was leveled by junior Christian Bell as he released the punt, which only travelled 20 yards to the Valley Christian 46.

Utilizing quick outs to Heinrich and senior Austyn Gerard, Heeringa managed to make it 40 yards to set up a comfortable 31-yard field goal by Zvada that would give the Trojans a halftime cushion.

Although Zvada was perfect on extra points all night, his attempt with 2.4 seconds on the clock shanked left.

Hammett, neutralized for nearly eight minutes of the subsequent third quarter as both defenses dug in, finally took advantage with a 17-yard bolt to tie the game, 21-21. It appeared to hold up into the fourth quarter after the game’s only turnover, a Solano interception of Heeringa at his own 47.

“We knew it was going to come down to stopping Zach Hammett, because he’s an outstanding player,” Petersen said. “When you try and take away a team’s best option, and they beat you when you’ve taken that away, there’s not much else you can do but tip your cap to them.” 

But the Dust Devils’ wide receiver option from Solano, off the lateral from Hogencamp, did not prove to be the sure score it had been in the first round and late regular-season games, falling short of Solano’s intended target Pacheco.

With the ball back at its own 32, Valley Christian embarked on its most textbook hurry-up drive of the night, alternating Majercak moving the pile four to seven yards with Heeringa sneaks off quick snaps. The quarterback took it himself one final time from two yards out to put the Trojans up, 28-21, with 5:37 left in the game.

“We survived on big plays,” Clark said. “They survived on 10-, 12-, 14-play drives. That ended in touchdowns. That do[es]n’t normally happen.”

With good defensive penetration and senior Justin Regehr starting to pick up sacks, the time had come for third seed Valley Christian to live up to its high tournament ranking and put away the lower-rated Dust Devils. 

Once again, Hammett and Solano proved them wrong. A 57-yard flick to the senior wideout set the stage for tough red zone running from the Trojan 11 by the all-time record holder for touchdowns scored in a 3A season. His third run went from bruising to leaping for the end zone from two yards out, tying the game again at 28 but leaving Valley Christian with just 1:28 to work with.

So from his own 34, Petersen’s hurry-up kicked in again. Heeringa tried two passes to his own sideline. Majercak tested the left side of the Dust Devil secondary. More than thirty seconds had elapsed with the Trojans still stuck at midfield.

Majercak, second to Hammett in 3A rushing yardage, busted through from 49 yards again to become first catalyst of bedlam in his home stadium. 

“You’ve gotta give credit to both the [offensive] line and Kaden for that,” Petersen said. “That’s a pressure situation, and that kid is built for that.”

Though Hogencamp would connect with Solano one more time from 33 yards to put him over 200 yards receiving on the night, the quarterback’s final shot at the end zone from the Trojan 35 was batted down by Bradford, ending the thriller in Chandler.